With a goal of limiting the number of new marijuana grows in California Valley, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors passed urgency rules Tuesday banning any new cultivation of marijuana in the unincorporated areas of the county — but allowing existing sites to continue if they can prove the plants were under cultivation as of Aug. 23.
The ordinance, which passed on a 4-1 vote with Supervisor Adam Hill dissenting, would require the existing sites throughout the county to meet certain criteria to continue, such as having at least a 6-foot-tall fence to enclose the cultivation area. They would also be required to register with the county within 45 days. It contains exemptions for qualified patients or primary caregivers who also meet certain criteria.
The urgency ordinance goes into effect for 45 days, but could be extended for up to two years. The temporary rules will be in place while county staff draft a permanent ordinance regulating marijuana.
The supervisors’ vote came after a daylong hearing. They clashed when debating how far the interim rules should go to limit marijuana cultivation, with supervisors Lynn Compton and Debbie Arnold favoring a stricter ordinance, while Hill sought fewer restrictions.
